Intense, uncontrollable anger that is an intensified hostile reaction to a perceived grave insult or injustice is called rage, sometimes referred to as frenzy or fury. Rage is a normal emotion that can be advantageous in some situations and is an element of human psychology. However, rage is a more focused form of fury that has been connected to mental health issues and, in certain situations, violent acts. Anger can be controlled by body relaxation, mental rewiring, distancing oneself from the circumstance, awareness of your triggers, and taking anger management courses.
A person experiencing rage may also experience a significant reduction in their ability to reason and think clearly. They may also behave irrationally and violently, even to the point of attacking others until they are either rendered helpless or the source of their rage is eliminated. Hyperventilation, elevated heart rate, tunnel vision, and impaired hearing are further symptoms of wrath. Additionally, they can start “seeing red” or getting “rose-tinted” vision. They frequently concentrate solely on the cause of their rage. The high blood levels of oxygen and adrenaline can make a person’s extremities tremble. Psychiatrists classify irritation as being on the other end of the anger range from rage.
Rage and Anger
Anger can also be understood in terms of defending oneself. It may indicate that someone or something is attempting to hurt or control us. Anger has a purpose as long as it is managed with dignity and responsibility.
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Another useless emotion is rage. Rage is a sign of disdain for other people and is not a problem solver—in fact, it frequently makes matters worse. An unconscious process, rage cannot be controlled until a later, more suitable moment. Resolving the issue doesn’t include counting to ten or leaving the scene. Rage is a volatile, ineffective feeling that offers little emotional catharsis. The fight-or-flight response, which makes one feel as though they must either stay and fight or leave the area entirely, can also be triggered by rage.
Canon-Bard Theory
There is debate in cognitive science on whether or not acts result from an emotional state of Rage. According to Cannon-Bard, a stimulus simultaneously creates the feeling and the reaction. As a result, someone would act without first becoming furious but rather simultaneously.
Rage and Mental Well-Being
- It might be vital to take into account the potential association between rage and mental health as well as general well-being, given the emotion’s potential intensity.
- Furious outbursts could occasionally be a sign of a mental health issue. These could consist of the following, but they are not restricted to it:
- People with intermittent explosive disorder often have recurrent, unexpected outbursts of intense rage, violence, or aggressiveness
- People with bipolar disorder may go through phases of mania, despair, or extreme rage.
- Substance use problems, which can lead to violent or aggressive behaviour when under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Depression or extreme stress are two factors that might lead to aggressive outbursts.
Those who frequently lose their temper or experience fits of rage may have adverse repercussions, including the following
- Elevated stress or anxiety levels
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Contemplation
- Tension in muscles, aches, and pains
- At-home or workplace conflict
- Relationship difficulties
- Elevated blood pressure
Among other things, these adverse effects could negatively affect someone’s health or personal and professional lives. If anger is not controlled, it can also fuel physical aggression and land you in legal hot water. These negative consequences could highlight how crucial it is to come up with plans for controlling and handling rage in a healthy way.
Strategies to Control Rage
Even while feeling angry can have unsettling implications, there are a number of tactics that can help you control and healthily deal with rage.
1. Recast your thoughts
Sometimes, when one is angry, ideas and opinions can appear more significant or passionate than they actually are. It could also result in distorted views of what happened. “My entire day is ruined because I’m going to be late for work,” for instance. By rephrasing these ideas (e.g., “I might be running late for work today. Gaining perspective and objectivity could be achievable by asking yourself, “What steps can I take to reduce the effects this has on my productivity?”
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2. Relax your body
Anger’s physical effects may be lessened by methods to relax the body and the neurological system. Consequently, this could lessen the strength of the feelings and ideas associated with the rage. Exercise, progressive muscular relaxation, deep breathing techniques, and box breathing are a few examples of these tactics.
3. Refrain from coming into the situation
Removing yourself from the situation completely may help you acquire space, clear your mind, and gain perspective, if you sense an intense fit of fury coming on. You can try defusing the situation by taking a stroll, walking outside for a little while, or even just leaving the room and returning to it later when you’re more composed.
4. Understand your triggers
It may be useful to identify the triggers for angry episodes so that preventative measures can be taken. Think about compiling a list of instances, circumstances, or conversations where you have observed yourself becoming irate. If a trend shows up, you might be able to stop the trigger from happening again in the future. For example, if you find that driving on the freeway aggravates you, you might want to think about using side streets or the bus.
5. Attend Anger Management Classes
Someone who gets angry easily could think about enrolling in an anger management course. In addition to teaching people how to contain and manage their fury, anger management programs may also assist those who are experiencing anger issues in identifying the root reasons of their problems. If someone truly feels angry often, it could be beneficial for them to get treatment in a controlled environment.
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6. Meditation
People who practice compassion meditation have altered brain morphology, making them less prone to negative emotions like fury and more compassionate, according to fMRI scans.
Additionally, studies have shown that MBSR programs result in fewer instances of fury, anger, stress, and sadness and more regular, intense experiences of love and happiness.
7. Seek therapy
For some, the aforementioned techniques may help them control their wrath. But other people might want further help in order to learn how to control their anger in a healthy and long-lasting way. Therapy could be a useful tactic in certain situations.
Learning to identify the things that make you angry, changing the way you think about the things that make you angry, and creating healthy coping mechanisms can all be accomplished with the help of anger management treatment. Depending on your unique requirements and goals, this could be in the form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a more specialized kind of CBT called stress inoculation therapy, or some other kind of treatment.
Also Read: Emotional sickness is real! It’s okay to feel bad sometimes
In conclusion, The majority of work has involved examining our conduct over an extended period and bringing to light any inner thoughts we may have had. This covers the ideas that make us angry, the false ideas that can make us angry, and the ideas we can think in their stead.
You will be well on your way to managing your anger if you can identify the kind of inner monologue or self-talk that you engage in during the day and develop a few different coping mechanisms.
References+
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_(emotion)
- https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/anger/an-overview-of-rage-what-to-do-about-it/
- https://psychology.fandom.com/wiki/Rage
